


Please be my Ex?

by ejvarr



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Eventual Romance, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Lies, Lots of bad words, Lovino is a mess, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, References to Drugs, Silly, Slow Build, Swearing, characters may be ooc, just for fun, outing someone, pairings will be added accordingly, plotholes ahead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2019-08-01 16:29:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ejvarr/pseuds/ejvarr
Summary: Lovino made a mistake. He could admit when he messed up, and by the Gods, he messed up big time. Too embarrassed to admit he's never been in a relationship, he blurts out the first name he can think of for an ex that no one will know; Matthew Williams. But of course Antonio knows exactly who he's talking about and "just wants to talk to him." Oh. And Matthew's brother thinks they're a new couple. Why? Because why would Lovino keep his big mouth shut and admit a lie instead of just lying again? Too easy.





	1. The First Lie

It was too easy. Too simple. He thought he could get away with it, his "get out of an uncomfortable situation free card." He shouldn't have said the first name that came to mind.

But when Antonio stared at him with his dumb brown eyes,  _all doe like and shit_. What else was he supposed to say? "No, sorry, beautiful ass man who might want to be with me, I've never seen another dude's dick in my life! I'm a bitch-ass-virgin-crybaby, who can barely look at himself naked let alone change in the same room as the rest of the soccer team!"  _No fuckin' way_. The Vargas family men? They ain't no quitters. And Lovino  _especially_  never quit a thing in his life... Except for taekwondo... And the 6th grade science fair.. And his first 3 part time jobs.. Oh, and there was that one summer camp... And he did return his first pet gerbil... But that's not the point. He was a changed man who suddenly decided he came from a long line of non-quitters. And who was he to break the streak?

It had been such a safe bet. Antonio was new to the school. How was he supposed to know the quiet blond kid in the back of Lovino's business class? Christ, Lovino hardly knew him! Had they ever even spoken?  _God, Lord in Heaven, Father of Jesus,_ he prayed in his head, _smite Antonio where he stands or take his soul, better yet un-fuck this situation, Big Guy, reverse time... Anything?_

Antonio looked at him with an amused smirk, his perfectly shaped eyebrow arched.  _He probably plucked them nightly, the pretentious, beautiful asshole._

Lovino sniffed indignantly and looked away. How long had they been sitting there in silence; Antonio just watching him panic and try to get his story straight.  _Did he look suspicious? Was he playing it cool? Was it warm in here or was it just him?_  Shit, he should say something. Antonio was still watching. Waiting.

He cleared his throat and willed whatever blood had rushed to his face and head to fucking stop and reverse itself. "Yeah. It was... It was whatever, it wasn't even like a big "thing," y'know?"

"So, when did you guys date?" He asked. Knitting his fingers together like he was actually interested in Lovino's lie-filled-fake-love-life.

"It was last semester... Sometime. Sometime last semester." Lovino cleared his throat again.  _God, he needed to stop being such a little bitch,_  he chided himself,  _this wasn't his first rodeo, he'd lied plenty of times before!_

"When did you break up?"

 _Was this a fucking interrogation?_  Lovino could feel the metaphorical weight of this lie on his shoulders. He was being forced to make up too many details. Lies had to be short and sweet and to the damn point! This wasn't an interview.

"It was last semester too, okay?" Lovino snapped.

Antonio raised his (still fucking perfect) eyebrows, splaying his hands on the table as if to surrender. "Sorry if this is bringing up some... Bad memories or something. I'm just curious. You two don't seem like you would have been, I don't know, compatible?"

"Why? What's wrong with me?" Lovino asked, offended for reasons he couldn't place.

"No, no!" Antonio laughed, shaking his head, "I'm just saying... He seems very, how should I say it? Reserved? And you're more-"

"What? Obnoxious? Loud?" Lovino glared at him, pretending as though he wasn't eyeballing Antonio's luscious hair. _God, it looked so soft and shiny, what did he use? Argan oil or something?_

Antonio nodded in mock agreement.

"Shut up." Lovino grunted, smacking the other man's hand on the table.

"I'm joking! I'm kidding." Antonio laughed as he pulled his hands back to himself.

They sat in silence for a moment, Antonio looking over his open text book, and Lovino trying to figure out how the fuck he was going to get himself out of this lie. As long as he kept it lowkey it wouldn't be too bad, maybe he'd mention that Matthew was embarrassed or something, so hopefully Antonio would never bring it up ever again, taking Lovino's secret with him to the grave, where it would die. Or if Antonio was cremated it would be carried on the wind with his ashes... Either way the lie would end. Right now he just needed secrecy so it wouldn't get out.

"So, why did you break up?" Antonio asked absentmindedly, not even looking up from his studies. He couldn't spare Lovino the dignity of attempting to lying to his face, just the crown of his handsome skull.

"He had a drug problem." Lovino said, the words falling from his mouth before he could stop himself. His own eyes widened as his brain caught up with his mouth.

Antonio looked up sharply. "Are you serious?"

 _Abort mission! Abort mission!_  His brain practically screamed at him to just shit his pants so they could change the subject. That was too much, why did he say it?  _Just tell the truth,_  his brain reasoned. He had to admit he was lying.

"I-I," Lovino spluttered, the absurdity and absolute shock of what he had said still rattling him. He couldn't do it. His pride wouldn't allow himself to admit he was lying. There was no going back now, he had to invest himself in this.  _He had to own this lie, raise it in a proper home, feed it well and, when the time was right, smother it with a pillow while it slept, completely unsuspecting._

"Dios mio, that's terrible." Antonio said, his tone almost sympathetic (if not for that lingering curiosity). "He seems so nice and normal! What was it?"

"What... Was what?" Lovino asked, feigning ignorance.

"What drug was he addicted to? Was it cocaine? That one's a real life ruiner."

"No!" Lovino exclaimed, glancing around the library before hushing his voice. "Shit, no! No, it wasn't anything big, just like... Weed."

Antonio nodded in understanding. "Ah, that makes sense. He wears a lot of hoodies with weed leaves on them."

"What? No, Antonio those are maple leaves. He's Canadian." Good thing he was pretty.

"Oh. Well that makes sense too." Antonio reasoned, looking back at his textbook. "It's a shame things like that happen. That happened to a cousin of mine, you know? Back in Spain. He was such a nice boy too."

Antonio suddenly jolted, a gleam in his eye. Sirens instantly went off in Lovino's mind.

"You know what? I should talk to him about it!" He said.

"What? No! Why?" Lovino swore he was going to have an aneurysm,  _this was too much._

"Because I have experience with this! Maybe I can talk some sense into him. He can't let this take control of his life and ruin his relationships." Antonio said, clearly having already made the decision that this was  **A Thing**.  _A Thing_  that was happening whether Lovino wanted it to or not.

"Look, maybe that's not the best idea, like he's really shy and I just don't think-"

"Don't worry!" Antonio interrupted, "I have experience in this matter, I will be completely discreet and gentle. I don't want to scare him." He began slipping his books back into his bag, as though he had to go and prep for his little "talk" with Matthew.

"I have class with him tomorrow at 11, so I'll try and talk to him after. Then I'll tell you all about it, okay?" Antonio grinned, as if he was doing a great public service. Standing from the table and pushing his chair in, he practically exuded confidence. "Don't worry, amigo! I'm good with this kind of thing!"

"Antonio, wait!" Lovino scrambled to stuff his belongings back into his backpack, "I really don't think-"

"See you tomorrow!" Antonio called, already hauling ass across the library.

Shoving the last of his work into his backpack,  _crinkle free and tidy paper be damned_ , Lovino pulled the half open backpack over his shoulders and headed for the exit, one thing on his mind.

_Get to Matthew Williams before Antonio._


	2. The Second Lie

"God damn Feliks, fucking asshole, stupid fucking rude little bitch." Lovino muttered as he hurried down the sidewalk, eyes drifting down occasionally to the map on his phone, making sure he was headed the right way.

Of course, he had absolutely no clue when Matthew's classes were, unlike Antonio who somehow seemed to know fucking  _everything_ , so he had to be creative. And by creative, he meant sneaky. And by sneaky he meant beg Feliciano's friend, Feliks, who worked part time in the school office to check the student files and find Matthew's address. At no small cost, because if there was one thing Feliks was, it wasn't generous without a price.

So, after a chorus of; "So, like, what's in it for me?" and copious amounts of teasing ("Gosh, Lovi! I like, totally didn't think he was your type! I always thought your type was more, you know, satanic and demonic. Raised by gremlins." "Fuck you-" "You wish!" "And don't call me that!"), he had finally managed to coerce the address from the blond devil (it had taken all but a blood oath that he'd put in a good word about him to the Lithuanian teacher's aid).

And Christ, this kid lived a fair distance from the school. How long had he been walking? 30 minutes? He was close though, the little red flag signifying his destination was finally in view on his phone's GPS.

Lovino had already gone over his plan, time and time again. Ring the door bell, Matthew answers, "Hi! You might not know me but we're in the same business class, and y'know what? It's kind of a funny story, really.", explain the situation, get Matthew on his side, bada bing, bada boom! Problem solved. Antonio would never have to know the lie he was involved in and Lovino would never have to admit he was a big fat liar liar pants on fire.

As he started toward the next driveway, a fair stretch between each on the small two-lane road, his phone pinged to let him know he had reached his destination. He looked down at it, checking the address one last time, 63 Blueberry Lane ( _this kid would live on a street called blueberry lane_ ), and glanced up to the house to check.

It was a moderately sized house, nothing too fancy, the kind of place people dreamed about raising their kids in... Only aged a few years. There was even a tree in the front yard with a tire swing hanging from one branch and a garden circling the front steps. He wanted to snicker at the cliche, but now certainly wasn't the time. He was on a mission.

He headed up the driveway, steeling himself and taking a deep breath.  _You got this, Lovino, you got this. Just like we planned._

There were no cars in the driveway, but there was an older looking red bicycle leaning against the garage doors.

Standing in front of the door, he took one last deep breath, shook out his nerves and knocked.  _Relax, no big deal, man! Just like we planned. Be calm, explain the situation._

He could hear a muffled, "I got it!" from inside followed by the sound of heavy foot steps rapidly approaching.

The door swung open and Lovino's voice got lost in his throat.

"Hey man! What can I do ya for?" The guy grinned at him, all American Dream style. He certainly looked like Matthew, just older, tanner, stronger and more... In your face.

And most certainly  _NOT_  Matthew.

"Oh, um," Shit, this wasn't part of the plan.  _Oh! The plan!_

"Um, well, Matthew and I," Lovino felt completely scrutinised under this guys gaze, his eyes a piercing blue, his head cocked to the side.  _Stick to the plan! But there was no plan anymore! The plan was ruined the moment someone else opened the door! Abort mission!_

"We're, uh, dating?" Lovino said, sounded just as confused as this guy now looked.

_OH SHIT WAIT, BRAIN! NO!_

His eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?" He asked.

"No, I mean, we um-" Lovino stuttered, eyes widening.

"Shit, I always thought Mattie was, you know...  _Gay_ , or whatever. But like..." The man shook his head. "Damn. I can't believe he didn't tell me."

 _Oh God, no._  Lovino realized how colossally bad this lie was to tell someone in Matthew's family out of nowhere.

 _God, I really am a piece of shit,_  Lovino thought in a fleeting moment of self-awareness.

"Well, come on in, man." He said, stepping back. He seemed... Completely relaxed and normal. Lovino followed him with narrowed eyes.  _Was this... a trick? Why was he so calm?_

The guy shut the door behind them. "My name is Alfred, by the way, I don't know if Matthew's told you about me or...?"

"Oh, uh," Lovino nodded, "Yeah, I think he mentioned you like... Once or twice."  _Or never._

"Cool, cool. I'm his older brother." Alfred held out his hand, which Lovino awkwardly shook, hoping his hand wasn't as simultaneously sweaty and clammy as it felt. Judging by the way Alfred's nostrils flared slightly at the contact, it was.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lovino." He hesitated. "Um, Lovino Vargas. My family owns a restaurant over on 3rd and Main."

"Oh! Cool! Vargas, huh? I knew a guy back in basic training with the same last name. Or something like it, close enough." He waved his hand dismissively. "Are you Italian? You've got the whole vibe thing going." Alfred grinned. "I heard Italians are good cooks too, pasta and garlic and all that."

Lovino nodded, shifting his weight from foot to foot. This situation was awkward and uncomfortable, and while their house was cosy and warm (and smelled like, _what was that? cinnamon buns?_ ), it was too warm for Lovino, who could feel the blood still burning in his face.

"Yeah, nice." Alfred nodded. "So, you and Matthew are dating, huh?"

 _Shit, no more beating around the bush._  "Uh, yeah, I mean, like." He cleared his throat and looked around.

"Look, bro," Alfred leaned closer, eyes shifting to the staircase to his right. "I don't care that you guys are like...  _Gay_ , or whatever, okay? I'm a bit shocked that Matthew never told me but that's his choice to make." He locked eyes with Lovino, a sudden seriousness replacing his relaxed demeanour. "I'm gonna give you the same warning I would have given to any lady friend he might have brought home," he thought for a second, "altered slightly, for the fact you're a dude an' all... I'm a trained US soldier, best sharpshooter in my rank, shit, best in most ranks. I get that relationships end and people breakup, it's reasonable. But if you hurt him, in any way, shape or form, you'll be answering to me, got it?"

Lovino swallowed thickly, eyes wide. He could actually feel a drop of sweat trickle down his temple. He ignored the urge to salute and shout, " _SIR! YES, SIR!_ " And instead, he nodded vigorously. "Understood."

"Alright! Well! Leave your shoes at the door-mom's rules- drinks are in the fridge if you want one; we got water, coke, sprite, ice tea, apple juice, ET CETERA! Matthew's room is upstairs first door on the right, but I guess you already know that." Alfred grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "It was nice meeting you, bro!"

Lovino kept nodding, feeling akin to a bobble head at this point, and quickly toed off his shoes. "Thanks." He muttered, quickly heading for the stairs. His hand had all but touched the banister when Alfred called out.

"Oh, and Lovino?" He asked, talking over his shoulder as he entered a doorway that lead to their living room.

"Yeah?" He watched Alfred plop down on a large couch, draping his arm over the back and glancing back. Their eyes met briefly, just long enough for Alfred's point to get across.

"I shoot to kill, just so you know, I don't miss a single shot." He turned his attention toward the television. "Never have, and presumably, never will."

Lovino gave a tight lipped smile and one quick nod.  _Great._

"Understood." He muttered as he trudged up the stairs.

He now had two lies to explain, both of which involved Matthew, a kid in his business management class that he had never spoken to prior. He had to apologize for using him and beg for help, and if not help, perhaps just a conspirator silence. Oh, and he had to try and romance Antonio while avoiding certain death from Matthew's overly protective older brother, Rambo. And it was only 6 o'clock PM.

_Nice._


	3. Accomplices

"You told my brother I WAS GAY?!" Matthew asked, eyes wide. "And he believed you?"

"Well, I mean, I told him we were gay... Together." Lovino reasoned. "He took it well!"

"Oh... My God." Matthew looked at him as through he had three heads. As though this whole situation was somehow  _his_  fault. Well,  _it was_  but that was besides the point.

They sat in silence. Lovino looking guiltily down at his hands while he sat perched on the edge of the bed. Matthew, sat in his desk chair, continued to stare at him, a look caught between exasperation and complete confusion on his face.

Lovino imagined it was the same look mothers gave their 3 year old's who kept screaming for their attention only to do the same polka dance jig they'd been doing all day. A look that screamed " _You Are Troubled_ ," or, " _I Can't Believe You've Fallen Down This Hole And Grabbed My Ankle Dragging Me Down With You._ "

"You told Antonio, the foreign exchange guy, that we broke up." Matthew stated. "Even though we've never spoken before- let alone dated?"

Lovino nodded. "Yes."

"Because I had a weed problem?"

"Uh," Lovino scratched his cheek lightly, trying to sound nonchalant, "yeah."

"Okay," Lovino could hear the lilt in Matthew's voice, "That's kinda funny."

Lovino looked up finally. Matthew was leaning back in his chair, nibbling his lip in thought. "And you wanted me to what? Pretend to be your ex so you can date Antonio?"

"Yeah," Lovino shrugged, "I mean, I guess. I didn't really think it out at the time. I figured he wouldn't know who you were because he was so new and you're so-"

"Forgettable?" Matthew asked, lips pursed.

"I was gonna say quiet." Lovino corrected. "Most people are too loud and shit, but you seem kinda shy or whatever. It seemed like a safe bet at the time."

"I helped him for like a week when he first came here to help him catch up to where we are in the classes we have together." Matthew stated. "I showed him around campus and helped him move into his dorm room."

"How the fuck was I supposed to know that?" Lovino asked, throwing his hands up. "He never mentioned it."

"And somehow that turned into you telling my brother I'm gay?" Matthew asked, his eyebrows knit. Clearly he wasn't fully grasping the connection between the situations.

"Fuck, man." Lovino rubbed his face. "I don't know. I'm sorry, okay? I'm really bad under pressure and it threw me off when he opened the door all fucking  _American sunshine_. I just get flustered really easy, okay? I was under a lot of pressure because  _they just stare at you with their beady little eyes_  and tryin' to make up a lie on spot can get messy," Lovino took a deep breath when he heard Matthew snort quietly, "And this clearly got really fucking messy."

"Stop swearing so much." Matthew laughed, shaking his head.

Lovino held up his hands, as if in surrender.

Silence fell over them once more and Matthew toed at the edge of his desk, nibbling his lip again. Lovino watched silently as he furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

As Lovino considered Matthew, he wondered why Antonio thought it so strange they would have dated. Matthew seemed sweet enough and like he had a decent sense of humour (clearly he had to have some kind of sense of humour to not pepper spray the ever-living shit out of Lovino  _the second_  he opened his door to an almost complete stranger telling him he involved him in several lies and told his unsuspecting family member he was gay). His hair; jaw length, honey blond and curly, was nice too. Maybe Lovino just had a thing for curly hair though, might be biased.

After a moment Matthew glanced back at him, looking pensive and worried. "But, I just- I mean, like- why me? I know I'm quiet and I guess I'm kinda shy so I know where you're coming from with that but..."

Lovino cocked an eyebrow, prompting Matthew to explain whatever thought was bugging him.

Matthew's head was lowered as he spoke, as though his socks were just oh-so interesting, and when he did look up at Lovino it was through his pale lashes behind the round frames of his glasses.

"What made you think I... Like guys?"

"Oh." Lovino shrugged. "I didn't really put any thought into that. I just picked you because I thought Antonio wouldn't know you. I never imagined he would want to have a heart to heart with whoever I name dropped."

Matthew nodded his head.

"For what it's worth," Lovino said, being mindful to keep from cursing, "I really am sorry. And if you don't feel comfortable with any of this or don't want to help me, I understand. I had no right-"

"Oh no," Matthew interrupted, "I'm totally in."

Lovino's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Matthew grinned. "Sure, why not? It'll be interesting. I can be your ex-boyfriend slash also pretend boyfriend."

"Are you sure?" Lovino asked, "I mean, we can go talk to your brother and I'll tell him it was a joke or something, if you want?"

"No," Matthew shook his head, "It's okay. I mean, I know it's more complicated now, but Alfred would never believe me if I told him you were joking. He sets his mind on one thing and won't budge. I can just tell him we broke up in a week or something."

Lovino smiled. "So it kind of works out then."

Matthew nodded. "We just have to get the story all straightened out, for when Antonio asks me about it... And my "weed problem" which I don't think weed can even be a problem, but whatever."

Lovino shrugged, sitting back further on Matthew's bed. "He said it happened to his cousin once or something."

Matthew hummed in response, grabbing his notebook and a few pens before crawling onto his bed. Sitting across from Lovino, cross legged, he pulled the cap off of a red pen and scrawled "PLAN: GET LOVINO AND ANTONIO TOGETHER (PART 1: EX BOYFRIENDS)" across the top.

With his pen poised, ready to write, he flashed a conspirators grin at Lovino.

"So, how did we meet?"


	4. Pisces/Cancer Compatibility?

PLAN: GET LOVINO AND ANTONIO TOGETHER (PART 1: EX BOYFRIENDS)

Cheat Sheet (Matthew's copy)  
\- met during business class (sept)  
\- broke up b/c i smoke 2 much weed apparently  
\- broke up befor the semester ended (around xmas)  
\- lovino's favourite colour is red  
\- he has two younger brothers (feliciano and marcello)  
\- family owns an italian restaraunt  
\- he works there part time/whenever they need him  
\- his favourite animal is cats  
\- he visits family in italy once a year  
\- he doesn't think all these details are helpful but i think they will be  
\- i'm probably right  
\- he thinks he'll remember all these details but i dont think so  
\- his bday is march 17th (pisces)

Cheat Sheet (Lovino's copy)  
\- His last name is Williams.  
\- Has one sibling; older, Alfred.  
\- Spells words like 'color' with a U.  
\- His favorite color is also red.  
\- Lives at home with his Mom, though she is rarely around due to the fact she has a new boyfriend named Louis who is, and I quote, "kind of a dick."  
\- Favorite animal is a polar bear.  
\- Was born in Canada but moved shortly after, has a Canadian birth certificate.  
\- Likes hockey.  
\- Won't shut up about hockey when prompted.  
\- Gets offended when you don't care about hockey.  
\- Thinks I have a bad memory or am likely to forget details.  
\- Birthday is 07/01 (sign is Cancer, thinks this is somehow relevant)  
\- His hand writing is literal chicken scratch and his spelling is terrible.  
\- Sensitive about said chicken scratch hand writing and/or spelling.

"Okay! Okay!" Lovino laughed as he pulled the page away from Matthew, "I'll take this seriously, damn!"

"I am not sensitive." Matthew mumbled.

"Okay! Damn!" Lovino crossed it out. "Happy?"

"No." Matthew pouted. "You're not taking this seriously,  _I'M_  trying to help  _YOU_ , remember?"

"I know," Lovino groaned, "I'm sorry, okay? Let's work on the details some more."

Matthew sat up a bit straighter and poised his pen. "What's your favourite food?"

Lovino hummed, tapping his pen against his paper as he thought. It was his personal belief that he was a great cook, therefore any food he made was his favourite but he was partial to one food specifically. "I really like vegan spaghetti."

"Are you a vegan?" Matthew asked, his eyes wide in surprise.

Lovino shook his head. "No, but I am a vegetarian."

Matthew bopped his head as he began to write, before hesitating, thinking and writing again, with much less confidence.

Lovino peeked at his page where Matthew has scratched:

\- favourite food is spaggetti  
\- vegetarien

He elected to ignore the spelling mistakes, and instead rested his chin in his hand, his elbow balanced on his knee. "What about you? Favourite food?"

"Pancakes." Matthew said with no hesitation. "I like breakfast foods."

Lovino noted:

-Likes Pancakes.

"What do you think Antonio's going to say to me?" Matthew asked, biting his lip after he spoke.

Lovino rubbed his face with a grimace. "Ugh, fucked if I know. He'll probably just try to have a heart to heart about why you should stay away from drugs."

Matthew nodded minutely, playing with his pen absentmindedly.

"Do you even smoke weed?" Lovino asked, trying to conjure up the image of Matthew smoking a bong to no avail.

Matthew grinned sheepishly. "Sometimes."

There was a sudden knocking on Matthew's bedroom door and they both jumped. Matthew slammed his notebook closed and Lovino jammed his papers into his backpack.  _Completely not suspicious at all,_  Lovino thought,  _we're great at this._

"It's open, Al." Matthew said.

Alfred threw the door open with a flourish. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame, his eyes travelling between them.

"What's up?" Matthew asked. Lovino could see him flushing with embarrassment under Alfred's scrutinizing glare. Seeing Matthew embarrassed only served to embarrass Lovino, who in turn felt his own face heating up.

God, what was he so embarrassed for? It wasn't like they were even doing anything-- oh wait, fake boyfriends...  _right._

Alfred, however, addressed Lovino. "Are you staying for dinner tonight?" Glancing at Matthew he added, "I'm gonna call and order a pizza, if you're down."

"Oh, yeah, sure." Matthew nodded, turning to Lovino. "Do you want to stay or...?"

Lovino shook his head, realizing many things at once. It was past 7, he had an essay to submit by midnight which he had yet to start and he was a long way from Kansas, Toto... Or, he was a fair distance away from where he lived anyway. Matthew lived in the opposite direction from the school than he did. "I really have to get home, it's later than I thought and I have a crap-ton of homework."

Alfred nodded at them. "Suit yourself. Mattie, I'm gonna call so it should be here in half an hour."

"Okay," Matthew said, his voice soft, "I'll be downstairs in a minute."

Alfred left, leaving them sitting on Matthew's bed in silence.

"I'm probably gonna have to acknowledge this when you leave." Matthew said, his lips pursed.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Lovino said guiltily, zipping up his backpack. "Give me your paper." Lovino held out his hand as Matthew handed the notebook to him.

At the top of the page of facts about himself Lovino wrote down his cellphone number.

"This is my number, you can text me if you want but you have to tell me what happens with Antonio tomorrow, yeah?" Lovino handed the notebook back.

Matthew nodded his head firmly once. "I will."

They went downstairs without saying anything, and Lovino pulled his shoes on.

Matthew opened the front door and stood aside, letting Lovino step out onto the small porch.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Lovino knew he had to speak up.

"Um. Matthew?"

"Yeah?" Matthew who had glanced behind himself, trying to see what Alfred was doing, looked back at him.

Lovino shifted his weight and jammed his hands in his pockets. "Thanks. For... Y'know... Everything."

Matthew smiled, "Don't worry about it. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya." Lovino nodded, quickly heading down the driveway and beginning his hour long walk home.

A single thought came to the front of his mind as he reached the street and looked back at Matthew's house.  _I can't fuckin' believe that worked._


	5. The Interrogation (Scene Two)

The first thing Lovino noticed was that Matthew's face was as red as the hoodie he was wearing. The second was that he was hauling ass across the hallway so quickly, Lovino thought he was going to hurdle straight past him. Instead, Matthew came to an abrupt halt right in front of him.

"Hi?" Lovino asked, caught off guard. "Are you... Okay?"

Matthew nodded his head, but his brow was furrowed and he beckoned to the library, where they had planned to meet up. "Can we go inside?"

Lovino lead the way, finding a table in the farthest corner, hidden by the history section. The both plopped down their bags, Matthew all but body-slammed his onto the table and collapsed into his chair.

Lovino took the seat across from him. After sitting in silence for an awkward 30 seconds, Lovino shoved Matthew's bag off to the side.

"Okay, spill." Lovino said. "How'd it go?"

"Embarrassing." Matthew said softly. Still flushed red, he tugged his sweater off over his head and set it on top of his bag. Underneath, he was wearing a white rock band shirt with long black sleeves. He rubbed his face and his eyes under his glasses before finally sighing and looking at Lovino. "I can't believe I let you drag me into this."

"What happened?" Lovino asked again, impatiently.

"It wasn't THAT bad." Matthew started. "First he told me about his cousin in Spain and then, get this-" Matthew shook his head with an ironic laugh- "turns out Antonio wants to be a counselor. And now I'm meeting up with him twice a week for 'therapy.'" He punctuated with air quotations.

Lovino brought his fingers up to cover his mouth, not because he was shocked, but because he was trying to conceal that he was struggling not to laugh. Because honestly? Of course this would happen. _Of. Fucking. Course._ Lovino let out a small snort.

"Shut up." Matthew said, cracking up himself. The two sat trying to conceal their laughter before Matthew gathered himself enough to keep talking. "We should have realized. You didn't know he wanted to be a counselor?"

Lovino shook his head, feeling a little jealous that Matthew would be seeing Antonio twice a week, outside of class. "No, I just thought he was a nosy bastard and wanted to get involved for the drama of it all."

"He said it would be good for both of us to have these "therapy sessions", that way he can get practise and I can have someone to talk to." Matthew shifted in his seat. "I think maybe we can work with these sessions to get you and him together. Like we can come up with plans and stuff."

Lovino perked up, the jealousy dissipating. He hadn't thought of that. They could really put some plans into action now... After they came up with the plans. "That's a good idea."

"We also talked a bit about you." Matthew said.

"Wait, what? Why? What did he ask?" Lovino blurted. "What did you say?"

Matthew looked at him seriously, his voice low. "I think he wants to talk more about it later on, but he just said something like, " _You and Lovino dated before, right?_ " so I said, " _Ya._ " And he said, " _oh, how was your relationship with him?_ " and I said, " _terrible, Lovino used to cuss me out and hit me and when I said no to his kinky fetish requests he would lock me in the bathroom until I agreed to call him Big Daddy._ "

"SHUT UP!" Lovino choked out. Laughing, he smacked at Matthew's arm from across the table. The blond dodged his smack and cracked up. "You annoying little fu-"

The two laughed until they got shushed by the librarian and then they sat, stifling their laughter behind their hands.

Lovino wiped his eyes. "God, the way you were acting earlier I thought he wanted to put you in rehab or something."

Matthew grinned at him from across the table. "Nah, it was just kind of embarrassing because he's really serious about it and I was just going with the story and felt like I was LARPing or something."

Lovino regarded Matthew as he spoke. He couldn't believe his luck. After all the outrageous lies he had told, the person whose name he hard nearly dragged through the mud was acting as though they had been friends for life and he had always been involved in the ruse. He didn't know how he had gotten lucky enough for Matthew to be so... _Perfect_.

"Although, for a minute I really did think he wanted to check me into rehab when he asked how many times a week I smoked weed." Matthew said, "He looked at me like I needed to be on 'Intervention' when I told him I only smoked 3 times a week."

Lovino cocked his head to the side, "How many times a week do you really smoke weed?"

"Oh, 5 easily." Matthew said flippantly. They cracked up again and getting shushed only furthered their laughter. Matthew's was stifled behind his hands and Lovino's face was buried in his arms. Still all he could think was; _thank fucking God_.

They left the library shortly after, because the librarian was giving them a dirty look and Matthew felt bad.

They headed towards the lecture hall, where Lovino had to be for his 1PM lecture. Matthew only had the one class that day, Lovino learned.

Matthew was quiet for most of the walk, but once they neared he building he stopped. "Hey, Lovino?"

Lovino stopped too and quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"I was just joking about all that earlier stuff. Not the sessions or his cousin or any of that but the other stuff." Matthew's voice was soft.

Lovino nodded. Obviously he had been joking. He would have throttled him to hell and back if he had been serious. He was about to point out the obvious in the statement but Matthew spoke up again.

"When he asked me how our relationship was, I didn't know what to say really." Matthew was looking around now, avoiding his gaze. "I don't really know you that much and... I've never been in a serious relationship, so I didn't know what to say it was like."

 _That makes two of us_ , Lovino thought ironically.

"So, I told him that we had a lot of fun together and that you were really sweet even though you don't act like it and even though you curse a lot you didn't curse at me. It didn't really make sense." Matthew smiled. "But I think Antonio got it, because he was smiling when I said that."

Lovino felt his cheeks getting hot. _Dude, what the fuck._ What the fuck was he embarrassed for? He had all but asked Matthew to be his hype man and now that he was hyping him up, Lovino was getting flustered.

"Okay." Lovino sniffed indignantly and looked away. "That's fine."

"See you later, Lovino." Matthew said, starting to head back towards the main gate of the school.

"Text me!" Lovino yelled after him. Matthew turned back briefly and flashed a thumbs-up.

Lovino headed into his lecture, ready to pull out his notebook and start working on "PLAN: GET LOVINO AND ANTONIO TOGETHER (PART 1: EX BOYFRIENDS)" Phase Two: The Semiweekly Therapy Sessions.


	6. ... Is Calling

As it turns out, Matthew wasn't very good at texting. It wasn't just the spelling, which Lovino had prepared himself for, but also the amount of time between Lovino's texts and Matthew's responses that was driving the Italian man to borderline homicide.

Lovino was drumming his finger's impatiently against the counter in the kitchen of his family's restaurant when his phone pinged. He pulled it out from his back pocket and tapped in his pin to unlock it.

**Matthew Williams:**  
_r u still working?_

Lovino tapped in his response, hitting send within seconds of receiving the text:  
_Waiting for Feliciano to finish counting the tips and then we're going home._

Several minutes passed before Feliciano came bouncing into the kitchen, waving an envelop at Lovino. "Here's your cut, Vino!"

Lovino took the envelop and stuffed it into his backpack, fishing around for his keys. "How'd we make out tonight?"

"60 bucks each and 15 for Marcello." Feliciano chirped, pulling on his jacket.

Lovino furrowed his brow. "Why the fuck does he get a cut? He didn't help out tonight."

Feliciano shrugged with a smile. "Because we always save you a cut when you don't help out. Which is more often than when he doesn't help, you know?"

Lovino scowled in response. "Do you have your keys?"

Feliciano pulled them out of his jacket pocket and jangled them in the air. "Lost yours?"

"No." He barked, making a mental note to search his soccer bag when they got home. "You're driving. Let's go."

They left, flicking off the remaining lights as they did. Outside, Lovino stood to wait while Feliciano locked the door behind them. His phone pinged and he retrieved it from his back pocket.

**Matthew Williams:**  
_nice :o)_

Lovino pursed his lips and responded:  
_I'm calling you when I get home._

"Is that Nonno?" Feliciano asked, catching up beside him.

"No," Lovino grunted in response, "just a friend."

"Hmm," Feliciano hummed, as they walked toward the car, "I didn't know you had any."

Feliciano narrowly avoided the hand that came flying at him as he sprinted around to the drivers side of the vehicle, laughing.

"Rude, ungrateful bastard." Lovino murmured. His phone pinged again and he waited until he was seated and belted into the car, before pulling up the text, the fastest response he had received from Matthew yet.

**Matthew Williams:**  
_why :S_

Lovino typed back:  
_Because I want to talk; nothing bad._

He received a near immediate response.

**Matthew Williams:**  
_o ok_

Lovino shook his head.

Feliciano glanced at him when they pulled up to a red light. Lovino could feel his brother's eyes on him. The ride was less than 5 minutes from where they lived, and he knew Feliciano was about to spout an assload of questions. He wasn't stupid; he knew what that gleam in his brother's eye meant.

"Soooo," Feliciano started, his voice lifting in a singsong way.

 _Oh, sweet Mother Mary and Joseph, here it comes._ Lovino tried to avoid looking over at him. _Maybe the rule of not looking a bear in the eyes to avoid an attack was an appropriate metaphor for not making eye contact with an overly prying brother._

"Who's your friend?"

_Was that a metaphor or a simile?_

"Someone from school."

Lovino realized he wasn't even sure how much he could tell Feliciano about the current situation. He knew he'd need to get his family involved in the lie at some point, they'd have to meet Antonio one day... Or would they? He relished in the idea of never having to explain himself to anyone for a delicious moment before Feliciano spoke up again.

"Someone from the soccer team?"

"No."

He'd have to figure out how far this was going to go before he had to get his family involved, which was an absolute last resort. He knew from past experience that Feliciano was not a good liar.

Feliciano hummed thoughtfully. "Is that the one you were asking Feliks about?"

Lovino felt his eyes roll into the back of his skull. "Oh my God, that gossipy bitch." Another name to the list of people who could not keep a secret for their damn life.

Feliciano laughed. "He's one of my best friends, Vino, of course he's going to mention if you talk to him."

"He probably called you before I left the fucking building." Lovino complained.

Feliciano nodded his head sympathetically. "You probably hadn't even made it out of the office."

"Fucking Feliks." Lovino hissed.

"So, Mark or something was his name?"

"His name is Matthew and he's my business partner." Lovino explained. "Well, my partner in our business class."

"Oh." Feliciano frowned.

"Yeah," Lovino grumbled.

"So, he's technically not your friend- OW!" Feliciano grabbed this arm where Lovino had smacked him. "Lovino! I'm driving!"

"Hardly!" Lovino complained. "The drive should take 4 minutes, Feliciano!"

"We've only been in the car for 6!"

"Two minutes longer than we need to be!"

"The driveway is right there!" Feliciano could never really take their fights seriously, which, throughout their lives, had only served to piss Lovino off more. "See, Vino, this is why you don't have any friends- OW!!!"

Just as they pulled into the driveway, over the sheer volume of Lovino cursing his brother out, he heard his phone ping twice. The car had barely come to a complete stop before Lovino was out the door. Snatching his bag from the backseat, he sprinted up the driveway and into the house, not bothering to wait for Feliciano who was still laughing in the front seat.

He kicked off his shoes and hurried to his room on the second floor.

Their house was on the nicer side of town, and was bigger than needed for the four occupants. Lovino's room was located at the end of the hall, he bypassed Marcello's room at the top of the stairs, the door wide open to reveal the teen sitting on his bed, playing games on a handheld system.

"Ciao, Vino." Marcello called, without looking up.

"Ciao, Patatino." He greeted in response, unlocking his phone.

He had two texts waiting.

**Matthew Williams:**  
_?_

**Antonio [eyes emoji]:**  
_Can I call you?????_

Lovino slammed his door shut, and texted Antonio back as quickly as his body would allow, while still trying to play it cool:  
_Sure, I'm free._

He held his phone out, staring at it in wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Maybe he should text Matthew back and keep him up to speed. Lovino was about to unlock his phone when the screen lit up.

**Antonio [eyes emoji] calling...**

Lovino's finger swiped across the green accept icon so fast he could feel the desperation that seeped from his pores.

He pulled the phone to his ear and his mouth suddenly felt too dry. Words escaped him. When they had traded numbers in the library a few days ago, Lovino had never really expected Antonio to call him. At least not this soon. And now here he was, completely unprepared.

"Uh, hello?" Antonio's honeyed voice came through the receiver and- _Dio bono_ \- Lovino closed his eyes and shook his head, _how the Gods could be so cruel and so sweet at the same time._

"Lovino?"

_Ah, a reality check._

"Yeah, what?" Lovino barked, realizing he had been spacing.

"Ah, Hello!" Antonio laughed (Lovino shut his eyes again and made the sign of the cross across his chest). "I thought the line had gone dead. What's up?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. No." Lovino cleared his throat. "I just finished at the restaurant. What do you want?"

"Nothing really. I was finishing up some homework and realized we never met up so I could tell you about my talk with Matthew!"

 _Oh right..._ The Lie™.

"Oh. Right, yeah." Lovino shifted and tentatively asked, "How'd that go?"

"Really well, actually." Antonio explained. "You were right, he is very shy and quiet. We didn't get into too much detail but we're going to meet up to talk some more. I think that may help him, especially if you get involved as well."

"Me? What?" Lovino questioned. "Why?"

"Lovino, you dated him."

"So?"

And then it hit him... _This was just... Too perfect._ The absolute chance of a life time. The easiest way to spend more time with Antonio while using Matthew's "therapy sessions" to get closer to him as well. Lovino decided to call it now; he was an evil genius. And had either: (1) a guardian angel watching over him or (2) a horse shoe wedged so far up his ass, he was going to be married in Spain and honeymooning in Monaco by Spring.

"Ah, well-"

"SO-" Lovino interrupted- "Of course I'm in and willing to help. What's the plan?"

Lovino had lost track of time as they spoke. By the time the call ended and he had taken a few minutes to get ready for bed, it was almost 1AM. He had only gotten flustered and cursed Antonio out twice, a new personal record.

They had switched the topic from Matthew and talked for a bit before Antonio had to go due to having class in the morning.

Lovino's thumb hesitated over the call button on Matthew's contact number. Would it be rude to call at 1 in the morning?

Probably.

He hit the dial button and held the phone to his ear.

After a few rings Matthew's voice, though softer and more tentative, came through the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Matt." Lovino snuggled under his covers. "Sorry for not calling you earlier."

"It's okay," Matthew said, "I just figured you forgot or something."

Lovino was trying to gauge by his voice if he had been asleep or not, but he was too soft spoken to tell. "Nah, didn't forget. You're not gonna believe what happened. Did I wake you up?"

Matthew chuckled under his breath. "No, you didn't wake me up. What happened?"

"Why the hell are you awake at almost 1 in the morning? Don't you have class tomorrow morning?" Lovino furrowed his brow, trying to remember Matthew's schedule.

"Yeah, I do. And so do you. If I wasn't awake you would have woken me up, so it's fine." Lovino could hear rustling through the phone. "Why did you want to call me earlier? And what happened?"

"Oh, cause you're shit at texting." Lovino said, then backpedalled. "No offence."

"Plenty taken." Matthew jokingly snarked.

"It was taking you too long to respond, so I was just going to call you and then- you're not gonna guess what happened."

"What happened?" Matthew asked.

"Antonio called me."

"He what!" Matthew's voice jumped an octave and they both laughed for a moment. "Why did he call?"

"So," Lovino started, unknowing that their call was going to last until almost 4 in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, I'm not really one for author's notes anymore but thought I'd explain some things:  
> 1\. I decided to have Lovino's siblings call him Vino instead of Lovi, because; A) it's a change of pace. B) I think it's cute and suits him pretty well (wine.. whine.. there's some kind of pun in there that a sibling would exploit, trust) &; C) I felt like it lol.  
> 2\. Patatino means little potato. Dio bono means good Lord.  
> 3\. Thank you all for reading! Your comments, subscriptions, favourites, etc. mean the world to me! I hope you continue to enjoy! Updates are sporadic but I have full intentions on continuing this story and finishing it as I already have the ending planned! Thanks for the patience!


	7. AC + LV = ♡

_"PLAN: GET LOVINO AND ANTONIO TOGETHER (PART 1: EX BOYFRIENDS)" Phase Two: The Semiweekly Therapy Sessions._

"I think it needs a shorter name." Matthew said, regarding the page in front of them. "Maybe make it an acronym?"

Lovino sketched out the letters of the page. _P:GLAATP1:EBPTTSTS_.

"Hmm." Matthew frowned. "That's kind of ugly."

"How can an acronym be ugly?" Lovino asked, his brow furrowed.

"I think it's the G-L-A-A-T part. Or the T-T-S-T-S... It's too many letters." Matthew bit his bottom lip in thought before suddenly perking up. "Wait, I thought of a better name!"

He held his hand out for the pen and Lovino passed it to him.

Matthew scratched a few letters on the page and sat back with a proud smile. "There, that's a lot better. Don't you think?"

In his messy writing, he had scrawled _AC + LV = RBFS_.

"What's R-B-F-S?" Lovino asked.

"Real boyfriends." Matthew explained. "And when we have to work on me and you stuff it can be 'L-V + M-W = F-B-F-S'."

"Fake boyfriends?"

Matthew nodded. "Or F... E-B-F-S... Fake ex-boyfriends."

Lovino was quiet for a moment before he shrugged. "Ya, that's good enough."

They were sitting side by side on Matthew's bed, various papers and notebooks sprawled in front of them. Lovino had picked Matthew up from his last class and driven them over to his house to discuss the plans for Matthew's first meeting with Antonio. Lovino had come to the realization that if they were being fake ex-boyfriends; they probably shouldn't meet up in the school's library everyday.

And, because Alfred already thought they were dating, Matthew's bedroom was unofficially the new official meeting place for their planning sessions.

Lovino watched Matthew idly tapping his pen against his lips in thought. While their "meeting" was supposed to be a planning session for the following day, when Matthew was going to get meet Antonio for coffee, they had sat instead for the past hour coming up with plan names instead of working on anything actually, y'know, constructive.

Matthew poised his pen again and scratched something on the page and handed it to him. " _AC + LV =_ ♡"

Lovino snorted. The crude penmanship and simplicity reminded him of the girls back in elementary school who would write things like that on their notebooks. _But really,_ Lovino reasoned, _that's essentially what they were doing now... Except they were both young men and in college... But the symbolism stood._ "That works."

_Was that symbolism?_

"I don't even know what Antonio's going to say tomorrow."

Matthew's voice brought him back to attention and Lovino glanced over at him, a blunt "huh?" escaping his lips.

"Well, I mean we've kind of talked about everything already. I don't see why he wants to meet up again. We don't really have much else to talk about. I told him why we broke up and all that stuff. I don't know... I just don't see why we should meet up... Again..." Matthew's sentence began to peter out, as if he realized he was rambling. "...You know what I mean?" He added lamely.

Lovino wondered if the question was rhetorical and if Matthew's insecurity just made it sound like a real question. Either way, Lovino was responding.

"He probably just thinks that he can help you with your 'weed problem.'" Lovino shrugged. "I mean, plus you said you tutored him when he got here, right?" Matthew nodded. "So he probably likes you enough to want to make sure you have someone you can talk to. He seems like he really cares about his friends and shit, so..."

Matthew perked up. "Does Antonio think we're friends?"

"I don't know, uh, like exactly." Lovino hesitated. "But I mean... Probably. He cares about you enough to get involved in your life."

Matthew sat back against his headboard and softly hummed. "Hmm."

Not exactly the normal reaction he was expecting, but Lovino had learned that with Matthew, he should always expect the unexpected. Matthew was, essentially, a loaded gun of unpredictability, at least this far into their conspirator partnership.

Besides, Antonio had spoken fondly of Matthew during their phone call the other night, so Lovino didn't think Antonio thought of Matthew as anything less than a friend.

"Or maybe he's just nosy." Lovino said.

"Could be." Matthew agreed, thoughtfully. "What do you think?"

"I think he wants to save you from smoking the ' _diosa verde_ ' and any forthwith Satanic inklings you may have in the future." Lovino grinned.

Matthew laughed and shook his head. "Honestly that seems more like it."

Lovino leaned back against Matthew's headboard and regarded the space around him. _They really should be working on the plan, or coming up with a plan of any kind._ But he knew neither of them had any ideas of how or where to start.

He noticed Matthew's dresser, which sat across the room from them, had a few photo albums sitting on it and, because Lovino himself was a nosy bastard (he would admit), was about to ask about them when Matthew spoke up again.

"Lovino?"

"Yeah?" He turned his attention back to Matthew, the thought of the albums already discarded from his mind.

"Are we friends?" Matthew asked, his eyebrows knit.

He really never could guess what Matthew was planning on saying before he opened his mouth. Another question that threw him for a loop. He should just say yes, they were friends. _But,_ Lovino considered the thought, _were they? They had only been speaking to each other for about a week. And sure they joked around and laughed a lot, and sure Matthew had gone out on a limb to help Lovino, who he barely even knew. And sure, this was the most time he had spent with anyone from school off of school property._

 _And,_ judging by the way Matthew seemed to be shrinking back into himself, _he was taking too long to answer._

"Dummy, of course we're friends." Lovino snapped, quickly. "But, we're also more than that."

The corners of Matthew's mouth turned upwards, a small smile ready to blossom, as he waited for Lovino to continue.

"We're also boyfriends and ex-boyfriends. We're the whole package."

Matthew shook his head and laughed softly.

"What?" Lovino barked. "You don't think we're friends?"

 _Not that it would hurt his feelings._ It was, as it originally stood, supposed to be a business relationship after all. An 'I-accidentally-got-you-involved-and-need-your-help-to-rectify-this' business transaction. Not that if Matthew had said he didn't think they were friends, Lovino would feel upset...

_Why was Matthew taking so long to answer? Why was he staring with those big-ass eyes of his? Why was he laughing? Was this a joke to him?_

Lovino could feel the heat in his face.

"I do!" Matthew said, chuckling. "I do think we're friends. I just wanted to make sure."

"Good. Stupido. Merda." Lovino grunted.

* * *

"Why do you have all those photo albums there?" Lovino asked, trying to distract himself with the frustration of their not so great planning.

"Hmm?" Matthew looked up from his notebook, which he had been bent over, scribbling various 'ideas'( _read: doodles_ ) on. He followed Lovino's gaze to his dresser and realized what he was talking about. "Oh!"

"I was looking for some photos to put here." Matthew scooted off the bed and went over to him bedroom door, closing it to show Lovino.

On the back of his door was a full length mirror. He had already stuck a couple of photos to the corners of the mirror and to the door around it. "I thought it would look cool or something. I mostly just have pictures of me and Al so far."

"Ooh. That makes sense. Cool, it looks good so far." The idea struck Lovino as a little too Pinterest for his taste, but the way Matthew looked pensively proud kept any such comments from escaping him. But, Lovino knew he himself wasn't really one for decorating his room with photos, he was more of a knick-knack collector ( _read: hoarder, according to Feliciano_ ) and enthusiast of paintings, posters and art.

Matthew turned back to him suddenly, his eyes wide.

"What?" Lovino asked, almost startled.

"Lovino, I just thought of something!" Matthew snatched his phone off his desk. "We should take pictures!"

"Wait, what? Why?" Lovino furrowed his brow.

"Well think about it, you told Antonio we dated for a few months, right?" Lovino nodded. "Well, don't most couples take photos together and of each other? That way if he ever sees one of our phones, we'll have photos in the gallery and stuff. It would be weird if we didn't have a single one, right?"

Matthew hesitated and then added, "Wouldn't it?"

Lovino stared at him for a moment, caught between ' _that was fucking random_ ' and ' _that's the best idea either one of us has had in hours._ '

Lovino pulled out his phone and grinned.

Matthew laughed and ducked his head slightly when Lovino pointed his phone at him. "I'm not really photogenic though, just so you know."

"Shut up," Lovino rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you're fine. Now, let's fake some memories."

* * *

Lovino couldn't guarantee how long they had spent laughing and taking photos, but they had been at it for a while. Matthew had even busted out some of his other clothing so it would look like they took photos on different days.

Lovino sat at Matthew's desk, laughing over the stupid 5 second videos he'd taken on Snapchat and saved to his phone. The photos of them with different filters, making faces and posing together ( _one particular video of Matthew trying to do a Kermit the Frog impression had Lovino laughing so hard, he had to keep wiping tears away_ ).

There was a knock at the door and they both looked over, startled. They had been so wrapped up in doing their photo shoots, Lovino had actually forgotten that there was another person in Matthew's house at the moment.

Alfred opened the door with a casual flourish and took his usual stance, leaning against the door frame. His shoulders were broad and Lovino briefly imagined Alfred could very easily bench press him, if he ever wanted to.

Lovino could see Alfred's eyes trail over the room, taking in the sight of the sheer disaster they had caused. Clothes were strewn across Matthew's normally- _and unusually, in Lovino's opinion_ \- tidy room.

Lovino's own button down shirt he had been wearing when he got to their place was tossed in a heap on the floor and he was now wearing one of Matthew's hoodies; a red one with a white maple leaf in the center. He had rolled the sleeves up to his elbows.

Matthew stood in the middle of his room, tugging down the hem of a pale beige knit sweater he had just put on. His hair was tousled from changing clothes and his cheeks flushed from laughing.

_Was this a "it's not what it looks like" moment?_

"Mattie," Alfred said, his lips quirked at the corners, "I'm gonna run to the grocery store and pick up some stuff. You guys want anything?" He asked.

Matthew looked over at Lovino and cocked his head in question. Lovino shook his head, "I'm good."

"No thanks, Al, we're okay." Matthew said.

"Do you want me to take a picture of you two together?" Alfred asked, his arms crossed over his chest. "I could hear the two of you struggling from downstairs."

Matthew spluttered, losing every ounce of composure he had previously had. "I-We-uh-I-"

Alfred laughed. Lovino could feel his face getting red as well, realizing how loudly they had been talking and laughing. _That's... Really fucking embarrassing,_ he noted.

Alfred shook his head. "It's fine, you're having fun. Gimme your phone, Mattie."

Matthew reluctantly handed it over, his socked feet padding across the floor softly.

Lovino stood and shuffled over to Matthew. Time for what he imagined were going to look like some very awkward and uncomfortable prom photos.

Alfred flipped through Matthew's phone with ease, pulling it up in front of him. He hesitated and then looked at them over the screen. "Alright, you can stand a little closer."

Lovino clenched his jaw. _No time for embarrassment. Matthew was his friend and they were taking a picture. No big deal._ He reached his arm around Matthew's waist and pulled him closer. "Put your arm around my shoulder." He directed, knowing Matthew would stand stock still if left to his own devices.

Matthew's arm gingerly wrapped around his shoulder and he could feel Matthew's eyes on him. From only a few inches away. "Is this okay?"

Lovino noted, at that particular moment in time, _the hoodie was not a smart choice_. He could feel sweat trickle down his underarm. He hoped Matthew didn't mind him sweating profusely in his freshly laundered hoodie.

There was a click of the camera shutter and Alfred was smiling. "Looking good... Mattie, look at the camera for this one, okay?"

Lovino wanted to laugh at how seriously Alfred was getting into a photographer stance. "Alright, eyes forward, chins up, and smile! 3, 2, 1..."

A prolonged series of clicks came again and Matthew started laughing. "You're so annoying, Al."

He went to take his phone and Alfred laughed, ruffling Matthew's hair much to his clear dissatisfaction.

"See you guys in a bit. I won't be gone too long." Alfred headed out, disappearing just as quickly as he had arrived.

"He's embarrassing." Matthew muttered. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Lovino shrugged. "Just wait 'til you meet my brothers. They live to sully my good name."

They heard the front door shut and the lock click. Matthew shifted slightly and looked over at Lovino. "If you want, we could go take some pictures downstairs? That way it won't look like we just hang out in my room all day."

"Sure." Lovino moved to head out the door but stopped, "Do you have a t-shirt I can wear?"

* * *

Lovino lay in bed, his room completely dark, save for the glow of his phone screen. He had spent all afternoon at Matthew's house and then went straight to the restaurant to help with the dinner rush.

He flipped through the camera roll on his phone, looking at all the photos and videos that had made the cut. The progression was clear, even to him. In the first few photos they looked a little awkward and stiff, but by the last few, they were posing and comfortable and their smiles were more genuine.

Matthew even had a polaroid camera, which they had used to take photos around his house. Lovino had only taken one of the photos, where he had tried to take a selfie of them and wound up smushing their cheeks together- _which he found hilarious_ \- and put it in his wallet. The rest were at Matthew's.

It was a fun idea and as he looked at the photos, he definitely thought it looked like something some sappy couple would do.

Now, he had to briefly let Antonio see them. Not only as "proof" he and Matthew had dated, but he thought, _maybe in some way it might make Antonio jealous or be like "wow, Lovino is such a fun guy, look at how much they're smiling in these photos. I wish he was my boyfriend!"_

Lovino snickered to himself. _What a great plan._ He felt giddy with excitement as he thought about the following day. _Matthew and Antonio were going to get coffee in the morning. Matthew was going to talk about how great Lovino was, Antonio was going to fall in love just hearing about him and, not to put the cart before the horse, but Lovino was almost positive he'd wind up going on a date with Antonio by dinner._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I normally don't leave any notes on my chapters but I wanted to thank you for taking the time to read this story and the patience while waiting for chapter updates. If I don't reply to the comments, please know I do read them all and they mean the world to me! I would like to try and update more frequently, though I make no promises. The next chapter should be more interesting and the story will progress more! I swear Lovi and Mattie are going to get better at scheming! As always, thank you for reading and take care!  
> EJ.


	8. Coffee For 2(+1)

Lovino sat outside the small cafe tapping his hands anxiously on the steering wheel. As he saw it, he had two options. One; turn around, go home and wait for Matthew to call him with the details. Or, two: stay there and spy on Matthew's meeting with Antonio.

He knew he wasn't about to drive back home.

Lovino hadn't really intended to spy on them. The chance had just kind of... Popped up in the form of him not needing to help out at the restaurant until later that afternoon and because they were meeting at 10AM... Well.... What else was he supposed to do?

He could see Matthew through the front window of the cafe, sitting at a booth in the very corner of the shop. He probably wouldn't have even noticed him if he hadn't been looking for him.

It helped that he knew exactly what Matthew was wearing, so spotting him was easier than usual.

He had gotten a call at precisely 7:15AM that morning that had jarred him out of his precious slumber. He scrambled for his phone and when he squinted at the screen and saw it was Matthew he picked up with a confused, "Hello?"

"Hey, so I don't know what to wear today, like I know we're just getting coffee and stuff but I don't know if that means I should dress nice or if wearing a hoodie is too casual."  
Lovino pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the screen again, confirming that it was for sure Matthew who had called him.

"Hello?" His voice echoed uncertainly from the little speaker.

"Yeah, I'm-" Lovino blinked hard trying to wake himself up, "I'm here. Gimme a minute, just woke up."

"Oh." Matthew was quiet for a moment. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Lovino had to physically stop himself from asking ' _bitch do you think??_ ' And Matthew took his silence as confirmation.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what time you would be awake but I had to get up and get ready but I don't know what to wear and I didn't want to wait too long to ask you because you said you work at the restaurant today so I didn't--"

"Okay!" Lovino interrupted. "Okay, I get it. Why did you wake up so early?"

"What do you mean?" Matthew asked. "To get ready... For coffee... With Antonio."

"Yeah, Matthew. I'm aware. Not until 10." Lovino put his phone on speaker and set it on the pillow beside him. "It's literally like 7."

Matthew hesitated for a minute. "Well, yeah..."

"So why wake up so damn early?" Lovino rubbed his face. "You could have slept until 9 and still made it."

"Yeah, but what if I slept through my alarm? And then I'll probably get there a bit early so he doesn't have to wait for me cause that would be rude, and it gives me time to figure things out beforehand."

"Like... What to wear?" Lovino asked, shaking his head at Matthew's logic. He still didn't fully understand the reasoning but, frankly, he didn't want to ask.

"Well, yeah. I guess. And other stuff." Matthew paused. "Because- nevermind... Sorry. I guess I shouldn't have called."

"It's fine." Lovino looked towards the phone as he spoke. "I'm already awake."

"Okay." He could practically hear the frown in Matthew's voice. "I know you think this is stupid, Lovino. But I-"

"I do not." Lovino interrupted. "I just don't-"

"The only reason I called is-"

"I literally did not say it was stupid I just-"

"Well, I'm saying-"

"Matthew-"

"Lovino-"

They both went silent. Lovino could hear Matthew's faint breathing.

"Okay, talk." Lovino ordered. "Or I'm hanging up."

"I-was-just-gonna-say-that-the-only-reason-I-even-care-what-I'm-wearing-is-because-I-think-it-reflects-on-you-because-I'm-your-ex-boyfriend-right?-So-I-wanted-to-make-sure-I-didn't-wear-something-stupid-that-would-make-Antonio-go-"hmm-Lovino-has-terrible-taste-maybe-I-won't-date-him."-That's-why-I-wanted-to-call-you-and-ask." Matthew blurted, not stopping for a single breath until he was finished.

"Sorry." He added, quietly.

Lovino had to admit, he was surprised by the amount of thought Matthew put into this. Where he was more of the 'guess we'll see what happens' type, Matthew was clearly an over thinker.

"Alright, I guess that makes sense." Lovino agreed. "Don't apologize so much, you didn't do anything wrong." Except wake him up at 7, which according to the law wasn't technically a federal offense, though Lovino thought it should still at least be a punishable crime.

"Sorry- uh, well, not sorry, I guess?"

Lovino sighed, closing his eyes as he pressed deeper into his bed. "Okay, let me think for a second. I'm trying to remember some of your clothes."

"Okay." Matthew agreed. "I was gonna wear a hoodie at first but that seems too casual. I thought maybe a t-shirt but I don't know. I don't really 'go for coffee' often."

"You have a white t-shirt?" Lovino asked. "What about some jeans, not baggy ones but a tighter fit?"

"I do have a white t-shirt, and I think I have some jeans like that, let me check."

He could hear some rustling as Matthew got up and went through his dresser.

"Oh, I have some darker jeans that aren't as baggy as my other ones. They're kind of dark blue-ish. But they're not as tight as like the pants you wear."

Lovino squinted, wondering if he was trying to say something but decided to shrug it off. His pants weren't even that tight. They were form fitted and slim. Matthew just wore pants 3 times too big for him ( _he wasn't getting defensive, shut up_ ).

"Okay, so wear those jeans with the t-shirt tucked in. A belt if you have one. Your regular shoes are fine."

Matthew wore a pair of beat up old black converse that looked like they had been on life support since 1987.

"And if you have a flannel wear that over top, or an unzipped hoodie. A light jacket would work too."

"A flannel?" Matthew asked. "Aren't those pajamas too?"

"No, well, I mean yeah, they can be- I'm talking about a plaid button shirt." Lovino shook his head.

"I figured." Matthew said. "Yeah, I definitely have one of those. Is red okay?"

"That's fine. I'd leave it unbuttoned or go for a hoodie."

"Okay. That sounds good." He could hear Matthew moving around some clothing. "Thanks for the help Lovino. Didn't want your ex-boyfriend showing up looking like a scrub addicted to weed or something."

Lovino snorted, laughing. "You are such a dork."

"Should I call you when we're done or will you be at the restaurant?"

"Text me, just in case. I can swing by your place tonight if we don't have time to talk, if that's cool?"

"Yeah, that's fine!" Matthew chirped. "I'll text you when it's over."

"Okay, see you later."

"Bye!"

* * *

Sitting in his car, Lovino could clearly see Matthew had opted to wear the exact outfit he suggested, complete down to the flannel being left unbuttoned and a belt.

He opted to roll his sleeves up and cuff his jeans at the ankle, leaving the smallest sliver of skin exposed above his converse, which Lovino deemed a nice touch.

Lovino could see him, sitting pensively in his little corner booth, gnawing on his lip and tapping away on his phone.

Matthew set his phone down and Lovino's own phone pinged suddenly. He jumped and looked between it and Matthew, wondering if he had been caught.

He unlocked his phone and opened the message.

 **Matthew Williams:**  
_is it rude 2 order a drink if he isnt here yet or should i wait_

Lovino let out a small sigh of relief. Clearly his disguise (a brown and black letterman jacket, a baseball cap and sunglasses) was a good call (considering Feliciano's reaction to him this morning was "ew, you look like a creep. Why are you dressed like that?" "I do not. I look inconspicuous." "No, you look suspicious." "Fuck off." "Okay, Vino. Just don't go near any parks unless you want to get arrested." He deemed this reaction unnecessary now.).

Lovino responded with a blunt:  
_Get a drink._

He had to admit, it was kind of fun (in a creeper sort of way) to sit back and watch Matthew until he got the message and then watch him read it, consider it, and finally stand up to go order a drink.

He felt a little cocky about having that influence over him (or maybe that was a power trip. Lovino hadn't experienced it enough to know the difference yet). Either way, he watched the booth until Matthew showed up again minutes later, a coffee cup in hand and sat down.

Lovino, for a moment, entertained the idea of sending Matthew an "I like your shirt" text or a "good call on the booth" snapchat with a creepy pic.

He humoured those ideas for a few minutes, thinking it really would be rather funny until there was a knock on his driver side window and he turned, coming face to face with Antonio through the tinted glass.

And his heart dropped.

He seriously considered not rolling down his window. Just putting the car in reverse and hauling ass out of there.

He wondered if Antonio would bring it up later on.

He definitely would.

(He also considered just hitting the gas and plowing through the front of the cafe but he realized that would have absolutely no positive impact on the situation and would, quite reasonably, make it worse.)

Lovino's car was a bit older, instead of pushing a button to lower his window, he had a manual crank.

So now he found himself in a situation where he was face to face with Antonio, a tinted fiberglass window between them lowering so uncomfortably slowly, and his arm at an odd angle to crank the handle.

And neither of them said a word until the window was rolled down completely.

Lovino wished he could melt into the seat of the car.

"Hey- _Lo_." Lovino said, his voice cracking, at the same time Antonio said; "What are you doing here?"

Antonio laughed.

Lovino cleared his throat. "I-I was gonna say 'Hey' but then started to say 'Hello' instead. I don't know- I don't know what that was."

 _Well, on a positive note,_ Lovino thought, _at least I know what I'm doing when I get home. Signing up for clown school because I'm Boo Boo the fucking Fool._

"I was just gonna pick up some breakfast before I head to the restaurant." Lovino lied, and then he added, in a moment of quick thinking, "What are you doing here?"

Antonio nodded and Lovino genuinely couldn't tell if he bought his lie or not. "I'm actually meeting up with Matthew for coffee. I thought I told you were going to?"

"Oh yeah, right, riiight." Lovino nodded his head exuberantly. "You never mentioned the place."

"No?" Antonio chuckled. "That makes sense. There are a lot of coffee places in the area. Funny we would pick the same one."

"Yeah, what a coincidence." Lovino felt his insides dying from embarrassment. Dying. Dying. Annnd, dead. Shriveled up. Mummified. "Well, I should probably-"

"Did you want to join us for coffee?" Antonio asked suddenly. "Or late breakfast... Or, um, what do they call it? Brunch?"

Was Antonio asking him on date?

Already?

_Minus the fact Matthew would be there. And that Antonio thought he was his ex. And that Antonio didn't know it was a date._

Getting coffee together was one thing. Having brunch? Having brunch together was a fucking date.

"I mean if you're sure I won't impose..." Lovino said hesitantly. Looking up at Antonio with what he was sure was a coy, natural smile; that 1950's Hollywood starlet look.

Lovino inwardly cheered himself. _Fuck clown school, he should be an actor. Because honestly, he was putting on an Academy Awards worthy performance._

His performance said: _Leonardo DiCaprio, who?_

"Of course, it's no problem! The more the merrier, right?" Antonio took a step back so Lovino could open his door, which took another awkward 30 seconds of him cranking the handle to close his window before he hopped out and slammed the door behind him.

As they walked up to the door, Lovino caught sight of himself in the glass of the cafe window. Seeing it out in the world, he realized the combination of his hat, sunglasses and jacket really did make him look like a creep.

He quickly snatched the glasses and hat off and jammed them into the large pockets of his jacket, embarrassed he had forgotten he was wearing them while talking to Antonio.

_Cue Leonardo DiCaprio swiping back his Academy Award and Lovino getting his shiny red clown nose slapped back on his face._

"I wonder if Matthew is already- Oh, there he is!" Antonio said as they entered, guiding them over to the table.

Lovino followed behind slightly. Trying to give Antonio what he was sure was going to be some very much appreciated personal space.

"Hey, Matthew!" Antonio greeted cheerily, sliding into the booth across from him.

"Hey, Antoni-" His eyes fell on Lovino, "Oh?"

Matthew gave him a 'you can't be serious' look. One that so powerful and transparent Lovino felt the embarrassment in his soul.

Lovino smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Matt."

"I hope it's okay," Antonio intervened when he saw them staring at one another. "Lovino was getting breakfast anyway so I invited him to join us."

Matthew nodded his head, turning back to Antonio. "Yeah, it's fine."

Lovino could see the corners of Matthew's lips twitching and he realized.

_He's trying not to laugh._

_The son of a bitch._

Lovino slid into the booth beside Antonio, nearly dying of bliss when he caught of a whiff of Antonio's cologne or body spray- whatever it was it smelled Godly.

"It just seemed like too good of a coincidence to pass up." Antonio smiled. "You know? The day we meet here, at this cafe. Lovino decides to get breakfast here. It's like, um, what do they call it? Divine intervention?"

Matthew scoffed softly. "Yeah, a real coincidence."

Lovino kicked his leg under the table and Matthew gave him a knowing look. His lip quirked into the smallest smirk.

Lovino just glared back at him, as if daring him to say something else.

"I'm gonna quickly grab a drink. Lovino, do you want anything?" Antonio asked, casually managing to get Lovino to slide out of the booth.

"Oh, um." Lovino's brain was short circuiting. What did he like again? "Sure, um. Just an iced coffee with almond milk."

Lovino reached toward his pocket and Antonio stopped him with a wave of his hand. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's on me. Matthew, do you need a refill?"

Matthew shook his head politely. "No, thank you. I've still got some left."

Antonio excused himself and headed to the counter where a small line had formed.

Lovino slipped back into the booth and when he finally tore his eyes away from Antonio's retreating form he found Matthew looking at him, his eyebrows raised.

"I wasn't spying." Lovino said bluntly.

"I never said you were." Matthew shrugged.

Lovino narrowed his eyes. "Yeah but I can see that you're thinking it."

Matthew tried to conceal his smile by taking a drink of his coffee.

After a moment of silence, as they watched Antonio stand in line, Matthew piped up again. "So, breakfast, huh?"

Lovino rolled his eyes, leaning across the table to whisper. "You're supposed to be on my side."

Matthew gave him a lopsided grin, one that made the resemblance between him and Alfred almost uncanny for a split second. "I am! I'm just teasing you."

Lovino scoffed. "You're a brat."

Matthew crinkled his nose. "You sound like my mom."

Lovino was torn between childishly saying; "Your mother sounds like a smart woman." or "Ya? Well, your mom sounds hot." So he opted for neither.

"So, if you "aren't spying," what are you doing here?" Matthew asked.

"Spying, obviously." Lovino replied, with a halfhearted shrug. "Didn't think I would get caught."

"Why? Did you bring a disguise or something?"

Lovino looked away, feeling his cheeks heating up.

"Oh my God, you did." Matthew laughed.

Lovino turned his head back to glare at Matthew, who continued cracking up to himself.

"Look, bastard, I was-" Out of the corner of his eye Lovino saw Antonio begin to return with his order. He gave Matthew's leg a sharp kick under the table and whispered harshly, "Here he comes."

"Ow." Matthew whined under his breath. Though it went completely ignored as Antonio set down three cups on the table and Lovino slide further into the booth to make room for him.

"An iced coffee with almond milk for Lovino." He said, sliding the drink to him.

Lovino murmured something along the lines of a thank you but it was muddled due to his brain focusing solely on how _breathtaking_ Antonio was in the mid morning light from the window. His skin glowed, a soft tan brought out by the pale colour of his jacket. His hair was messy, but not quite frumpy. Effortlessly perfect. The sun caught his eyes through his dark eyelashes, reflecting golden highlights amongst the green.

Lovino was never really into literature, but he'd be damned if there wasn't some Shakespearean crap going on in his soul just at the sight before him.

"I know you said you still had some but I got you a drink anyway, for when you're done that one." Antonio said, setting a cup in front of Matthew with a smile. "It's a new drink they have, a 'cinnamon brown sugar cappuccino'. It smells really good."

"Oh, thank you!" Matthew said, surprised. He leaned forward and smelled the cup, nodding his head.

Lovino could smell the drink from where he was sitting, the cinnamon and sugar mix smelled amazing. _Antonio really has great taste_ , he thought.

"And finally, a Café con leche for Antonio!" He said with a playful grin, sliding into the booth beside Lovino.

"What's that?" Matthew asked.

"Espresso with milk." Antonio laughed. "It sounds better with it's formal name though, huh?"

"It's like a latte then?" Lovino half asked, half stated.

Antonio nodded. "Mm, basically, yes. Sometimes they use different milks."

Matthew looked between them and at his cup. "So, what's different between that and a cappuccino then?"

"The milk." Lovino said. He made a few different drinks at the restaurant but because they were more of a dinner place, not too many people ordered hot drinks. Most opted for wine or something like it. His grandfather was very interested in the world of coffee, and was always trying something new. Lovino had the faintest memory of a conversation they'd had about the different drinks. "A latte has a lot more milk in it and a cappuccino is a stronger coffee. Something like that."

Matthew made an 'O' with his mouth, though Lovino could tell he didn't think (or care that) there was much of a difference.

Antonio looked between them, casually shifting his eyes. Lovino knew what this meant. He was assessing them and the situation.

Lovino wondered if this was how exes acted. He knew a lot of people hated their ex. _But they could still be friends, right? Talk about lattes._

_Was that weird?_

_Was Antonio buying this?_

"So," Antonio spoke up, sipping from his drink, "Have you two spoken since you broke up?"

At the same time Matthew answered, "No."

Lovino said, "Yeah."

They looked at each other and backpedaled in unison.

"Well, we-"

"I mean, I did-"

Antonio raised his eyebrows.

Matthew quickly went silent, his cheeks flushing.

Lovino cleared his throat. "We haven't spoken in detail. Just in passing. Class and stuff."

Matthew nodded his head and added quietly, "That's what I meant."

"That makes sense." Antonio said, understandingly. "So, you're on good terms?"

"Decent." Matthew shrugged.

"If you don't mind me asking," Antonio said, leaving room for someone to stop him, "Was the break up mutual?"

"Lovino broke up with me." Matthew said earnestly, looking at Antonio while he spoke. "We dated for a few months, and then broke up after exams. It was kind of awkward," he cocked his head to the side as he spoke, "because we were at his place when he broke up with me and then he drove me home after, because I didn't have a ride and it was snowing really bad."

Physically Lovino sat stone faced, watching them speak. Inside he was clutching his figurative pearls, mouth agape. Matthew was so _honest_ and _sincere_ when he spoke, Lovino almost believed every word he was saying and he was part of the lie. Shit, he started the lie!

Lovino had always thought he was a good liar. And now he was seeing one in the flesh and realized how terrible of liar he really was.

Matthew seemed to know all the cues, when to drop his gaze, sip his drink, spare a glance at Lovino, how long to pause before speaking.

_And Lovino had thought he deserved an Academy Award? No, he wouldn't even be a Teen Choice nominee at this point. But Matthew? Matthew was selling the lie. He was putting on a production._

And then he remembered sitting in the library. And Matthew saying how he didn't like going along with it because it felt like LARPing. And then Lovino understood.

He snorted, accidentally. Mentally laughing at the idea of Matthew feeling like he was currently LARPing.

They both glanced at him. Matthew quirked an eyebrow and Lovino sank down in his seat.

"Sorry," he waved a hand dismissively, "Just thinking about driving you home that day." He shook his head for emphasis.

Matthew looked at Antonio with a nod. "The radio was out because of the weather so we got to sit in silence the whole way."

Antonio grimaced. "I can imagine how awkward that must have been." He paused to take a sip of his drink. "How did you guys get together? You said you met in class, right?"

"We had a couple of the same classes." Lovino explained. Though, in actuality, he couldn't remember if he'd had any classes with Matthew besides their current business management course.

"We wound up in the same group for a project," Matthew said, "And then we just kept hanging out after that."

Antonio smiled. "The break up must not have been too bad. You two seem like you're still friendly."

And then a mistake was made.

They looked at each other. Lovino saw the little twitch of Matthew's lips and felt a dumb ass grin spreading across his face.

He scrunched his nose, trying to turn it into a scowl.

But Matthew laughed.

_Blown. Their cover was blown. Absolute incompetence._

Antonio cocked his head to the side and chuckled, looking between them. "I take it you're still friends?"

Matthew turned back to him and gave a small shrug. "I mean... It's just a little awkward. We haven't really talked since we broke up. This is basically the first time we've hung out, I guess?" He glanced at Lovino who verified with a stiff nod.

"Well, maybe it's a good thing Lovino wound up here today." Antonio suggested. "Could be the start- or renewal- of a friendship."

Matthew and Lovino shared a look, an awkward silence filling the air. Lovino wasn't sure what to say but finally Matthew dismissively said, "Yeah, maybe."

Antonio didn't seem to notice however. He was checking something on his phone before he quickly set it on the table again, screen down.

"We had a lot of fun." Matthew spoke up, his tone reminiscent. "You might not believe this, but Lovino is actually really fun. I mean, when he wants to be."

Antonio laughed when Lovino replied, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Lovino finished his drink as he mostly listened to Antonio and Matthew talk, interjecting when he felt needed. Matthew would subtly mention Lovino here and there, shedding a good light on him.

Lovino was impressed. Matthew was a solid wing-man. Casual, not too pushy.

Lovino, however, was planning his escape. He had told Antonio that he was working at the restaurant around noon, and it was getting to be close to 11:30.

If he left now, that would still give them ample time to talk about whatever Antonio wanted and for Matthew to plant the idea of Lovino being the best possible boyfriend in Antonio's brain (without Lovino present, of course).

Lovino mentally snickered.

_Time to go._

He pulled out his phone, nearly dropping his sunglasses in the process. They clattered together noisily in his hand as he struggled to keep from dropping them.

They both looked over at him and he stared at the screen of his phone, feeling his face go red.

"Oh. I better get going. Gotta get ready to open the restaurant." He looked up, hoping that had been spoken as smoothly as it was in his head ( _spoiler alert: he knew it wasn't_ ).

Antonio slid out of the booth, letting Lovino slip past him.

And then Antonio clapped him on the shoulder, a handsome smile on his face. "I'm glad you happened by here Lovino, it's great we could all chat together. We should get coffee again sometime soon."

Lovino's brain was short circuiting. He nodded. "Yes! I mean, yeah. S-sure. Sounds good. I guess. I'll check if I'm free."

 _Holy shit_ , he thought to himself, _just shut the fuck up before you say something even stupider._

"Later." He waved over his shoulder as he left, seeing Antonio give him a wave back ( _bless his fucking HEART_ ) and Matthew give him a two finger salute.

* * *

The rest of the day moved by in a blur, Lovino reliving that moment of standing there with Antonio's hand on his shoulder as they stood _so close_ together, saying they should get coffee again.

He wasn't even bothered when he had to stay later than expected to help close because Marcello went home early.

The encounter earlier had lifted all the bad vibes he'd ever felt in his life straight out of his soul. He felt rebirthed. Renewed. Maybe even a little optimistic.

All of which was increased when he checked his phone as they closed. A single text was waiting for him. One that made his heart pound and his pulse race.

 **Matthew Williams:**  
_i think u should ask him out_


End file.
